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Nipple-sparing mastectomy followed by microsurgical breast reconstruction has a low complication rate in nonsmoking women, according to a report in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Researchers looked at the cases of 51 patients whose procedures were performed from 2007 to 2011.

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Plastic and reconstructive surgeons Lisa Cassileth and Kelly Killeen say women who have undergone mastectomy have a right to expect high-quality, aesthetically pleasing reconstruction. They work with breast surgeons who know how to do nipple-sparing mastectomy and have low complication rates, and they get patients' partners involved in the reconstruction process.

Women with early-stage breast cancer have the same survival and recurrence rates whether they undergo full mastectomy or opt for nipple-preserving mastectomy, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the American Society of Breast Surgeons' annual meeting. The nipple-sparing procedure might not be possible in some cases, such as when the tumor is too close to the nipple area.

Technological advances and new approaches to treating breast cancer are allowing tumor excision with smaller incisions, less tissue removal and better cosmetic outcomes than conventional methods, surgeons reported at the American Society of Breast Surgeons' annual meeting. Advances in breast reconstruction, including skin- and nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction, have made mastectomy more palatable to some cancer patients. New techniques such as cryoablation may eventually eliminate the need for tumor excision in some cases.

Nine percent of patients who had immediate post-mastectomy breast reconstruction using a flap method subsequently developed lymphedema, compared with 19% of mastectomy patients who did not have immediate reconstruction, a study of 712 South Korean women found. The healthy tissue used in reconstruction might encourage the healing of lymphatic tissue, and patients who have reconstruction might be more likely to undertake exercises that prevent lymphedema, researchers said. The study was published in the journal The Breast.